This application claims the priority of 198 03 387.7, filed Jan. 29, 1998, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a method for controlling the output power of an internal combustion engine in a motor vehicle.
A type of motor control (applicant's so-called ME 1.0) is disclosed in MTZ Motortechnische Zeitschrift 56 (1995) 11, pages 666 ff. In this article, the specifications of many vehicle systems of the internal combustion engine are carried on a so-called CAN bus to the motor controll system, where the resultant torque requirement is determined. Via a second segment of the motor control system (the torque adjustment segment, for example), various operating parameters of the internal combustion engine are then set or adjusted so as to establish the resultant required torque.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for establishing the output power of an internal combustion engine such that changes in existing processes or the adoption of new functionalities can be easily performed.
This and other objects and advantages are achieved by the method according to the invention by obtaining a driver-intended torque from a driver's command, with additional intended torques also being generated by at least two vehicle systems of a motor control system which affects the output torque. A resultant specified torque is determined from the driver-intended torque and the at least two additional intended torques, and the resultant specified torque is set via a torque setting apparatus.
A system utilizing the method according to the invention possesses an advantage over conventional torque interfaces because all functions are based on a common physical factor, preferably the crankshaft torque. Previous systems resorted to obtaining torque requirements directly from the various actuators in the vehicle. On the other hand, in the method according to the invention the torque requirements generated by all vehicle systems are first coordinated, and only then are they established via a common motor control/regulation system. As a result, changes in the existing vehicle systems, as well as the addition of new systems, are considerably simplified. Independence from the type of motor controls and internal combustion engines involved also proves advantageous.